For a generation growing up in the early 2000s, America’s Next Top Model (ANTM) was more than just entertainment. It was a cultural force that reflected — and amplified — the era’s pervasive diet culture and unrealistic beauty standards. While the show didn’t invent fatphobia, it glamorized extreme thinness and instilled the message that appearance was paramount, leaving a trail of psychological damage in its wake.
A Toxic Reflection of Early 2000s Culture
ANTM debuted at a time when thinness was aggressively promoted in media and society. The show didn’t create these pressures, but it repackaged them for a young audience, making unattainable ideals seem aspirational. Contestants faced relentless scrutiny of their bodies, with Tyra Banks often delivering harsh critiques: from shaming contestants for not having flat stomachs to pressuring them into extreme makeovers, including cosmetic procedures like gap-tooth closures.
The show often presented “plus-size” models as othered, forcing them into humiliating situations where clothing wasn’t even available in their sizes. Even the label “plus-size” itself was skewed, with women who would not have been considered such in everyday life being labeled as such within the fashion industry.
From Viewing to Internalizing: The Personal Cost
The show’s messaging seeped into viewers’ minds, including Jennifer Rollin, a now-recovered eating disorder therapist and founder of The Eating Disorder Center. Rollin recalls growing up internalizing the idea that “smaller was better,” leading her down a dangerous path of restrictive dieting and self-obsession. Despite societal praise for her weight loss, her behavior spiraled into anorexia, a condition she didn’t even recognize as such initially.
The problem isn’t just about eating disorders. The show reinforced the idea that self-worth is tied to appearance, contributing to broader body image issues and psychological distress. Rollin emphasizes that you cannot visually diagnose an eating disorder; less than 6% of sufferers are medically underweight. The real harm is often invisible.
The Cycle Continues: Modern Weight Loss Culture
While ANTM is no longer on air, the underlying problem persists. Today, the media continues to promote extreme thinness, now often aided by drugs like Ozempic. The “Make America Healthy Again” movement pushes black-and-white views of food and weight, further reinforcing harmful rhetoric.
The lessons of ANTM should serve as a wake-up call. Just because something is normalized doesn’t make it healthy. The next generation deserves better than to inherit a culture obsessed with unattainable beauty standards and diet culture.
The legacy of ANTM isn’t just about the show itself, but the broader cultural forces it reflected and amplified. Until we critically examine how society promotes anti-fat bias and unhealthy ideals, we risk repeating the same mistakes for generations to come.
